The present invention relates generally to a cable tie, and more specifically, to a cable tie having a strap and a head which cooperate to facilitate insertion of the strap into the head and retention therein of the strap.
Cable ties are used to bundle or secure a group of articles such as electrical wires or cables. Cable ties of conventional construction include a cable tie head and an elongate strap extending therefrom. The strap is wrapped around a bundle of articles and thereafter inserted through a passageway in the head. The head of the cable tie typically supports a locking element which extends into the passageway allowing the strap to be inserted through the passageway but preventing retraction of the strap therethrough. Two longitudinally separated portions of the strap are thereby secured to the head to form a portion of the strap into a loop for bundling together the group of articles.
In use, the installer manually places the tie about the articles to be bundled, inserts the strap through the passageway head, and manually tightens the tie around the bundle. Further tightening of the cable tie, which increases the tension in the strap thereof, may be provided by a cable tie tool.
When the free end of the strap is inserted through the passageway of the head of a cable tie, such insertion may encounter resistance from the internal structure of the head. This is typically undesirable for various reasons among which is the fatigue of the user which may result from the installation of many cable ties. Installation of large numbers of cable ties is common. Also, the user may need to use both hands to simultaneously bundle together the elongate articles and apply the cable tie thereto by inserting the strap through the passageway in the head. Such insertion of the strap may be difficult if resisted by the internal structure of the head, particularly if the user is attempting to simultaneously hold together the bundle of articles.
Additionally, a cable tie typically requires a substantial force to retract the strap through the passageway in the head. However, as described in the foregoing, minimal resistance to insertion of the strap is desirable. Providing the head with a mechanism having such a selective resistance to travel of the strap through the passageway has proven to be difficult. This difficulty is increased by the relatively small size of the passageway in the head within which the mechanism is supported, and the requirement that the mechanism allow sufficient space in the passageway for the strap to travel therethrough.